The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, just as ice and water are of the same substance.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves.

Time passes unhindered. When we make ourselves better, we make the world better.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help.

Whatever is dependently co-arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the middle way.

Neither from itself nor from another, nor from both, nor without a cause, does anything whatever, anywhere arise.

In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived, how well we have loved, how well we have learned to let go.

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

Every moment of mindfulness is a step on the path to liberation. Each step is valuable, no matter how small.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

When we look directly at our thoughts, they dissolve like bubbles in water.